Ryredele War for Independence
The '''Ryredel War for Independence '''was an unsuccessful campaign by peasant-turned-King Romtalt to gain independence from the Empire of Ander. It lasted 7 years, first starting with a stalemate, then shifting to the advantage of the Ryredeles, then the Andirs winning. Due to this war, the Empire of Ander has become somewhat unstable internally. Background The Ryredele war for independence started when civil unrest became common, due to the harsh taxing that Aræn and his predecessors had imposed upon the region. The peasants were tired, and could barely feed themselves most of the time. It was at the start of one winter that it was decided that enough was enough, and a farmer named Romtalt declared a rebellion against the local baron. The peasants followed with him, and soon Romtalt became a baron and refused to pay taxes up to the count, meanwhile reducing the hard taxation that was imposed. Romtalt soon found that war had been declared to him by the count, but he was not without support. The now-baron Romtalt had many thousands of peasants levied up, who poisoned their own lords without question. Romtalt became a very powerful baron, owning several castles all over Ryredel. He soon took over a whole county as well, proving to be an excellent commander as well as a good judge of character. Romtalt recognized that he was a poor diplomat and politician, and so hired many skilled diplomats to do the speaking for him. With this, Romtalt, although hated by the nobility just a few months prior, was now loved by them. They declared him King of Ryredel, and he then refused to pay taxes to the Emperor. Angry although still calm, Emperor Aræn ignored Romtalt for many months. Meanwhile, he met with Ryredele lords in secret and arranged deals with them, and when this was done, Aræn was quick to guarantee the independence of the nobility that were working with him. Beginning of the War Romtalt was furious, and did not result to diplomacy this time. He immediately raised up his army and conquered all of the land of the traitorous lords, which was effectively an act of aggression against Ander. But Aræn waited still, not wanting to make the first move in the war. He set up a plan: to show that Romtalt was a barbarian who only sought war. Several of the cargo ships that the Ryredeles were dependent on mysteriously disappeared, with all the cargo with them. Aræn blamed it on pirates, and sent a part of the Andiric fleet to supposedly investigate. King Romtalt's men marched down to Ander, desperate and with barely any money. They looted whole villages and took their food to feed themselves. And this is what Aræn had wanted. He had received assurance from many states that they will remain neutral, which prompted him to move his army to the Ryredele-Holbeque border. Major Events The Andiric army was constantly pushing into Ryredele territory, but was always pushed back by some form of ambush. Aræn risked thousands of men in Ryredel, knowing that many of them would not be alive. The Andiric fleet, meanwhile, was being fully mobilized and dispatched to Ryredel. Although the land troops of Ander weren't very advanced, the opposite was true for the Andiric fleet. Most of the ships were even made by Pyrene shipmakers. The small Ryredele fleet of ships was absolutely destroyed, leaving barely any contact with the outside world. Although the sailors captured several ports, they could not advance any further than that. Meanwhile in the south, the Ryredeles were pushing downwards heavily. The demoralised troops in Ander waited in castles and forts, to protect themselves from the Ryredeles. Aræn had to come up with another plan to push back the Ryredeles. And he remembered. He remembered of the Cvaldaks that settled in Ander, and those who fathered children and stayed. He quickly recruited them, and made them teach others. The Andiric cavalry quickly grew in number, perhaps enough for a gamble battle against the Ryredeles. But Aræn took no chances. He looked for skilled cavalrymen from all over Ander and beyond, but could not find any. He received a message one day, from an unknown source: "To the Emperor of the Andirs, We, the company of the Steppelords, offer our services. Our forces are all of cavalrymen, and we are ready to fight for Ander for no coin at all. We only ask these things from you in return: * You would provide us safe passage from Prum to Ander and back once the war has ended, * You will condemn the Albaraahir elves and their weak empire, * You will guarantee the independence of the free steppe tribes, Prum, and Cvaldakia * and the free Steppelords shall always be welcomed in Ander These are our only terms. Seek us in the Prumite city of Vanant." End of the War Surprised but still grateful, Aræn quickly sacrificed the Andiric holdings on the coast of Ryredel, and sent them through to the Strait of Odeysah, between Vagar-Echag and Trisla. When the men sailed through there, they were surprised by the Vagarli longships sailing towards Athroux, but managed to negotiate with them and get through without any conflict. The Company of the Steppelords were picked up at Vanant, which had been just conquered by them. The cavalrymen were transported back to Ander, within the four-month stalemate between Ander and Ryredel. Then, disobeying direct orders from Aræn, the Steppelords took all the Andiric cavalry and marched against the Ryredeles. The Battle of Lukdiil followed, which the Andir-Steppe cavalry was able to win decisively. The Ryredeles returned to their fortresses around the border, which the cavalry rushed towards as well. Aræn was confused but still happy with the Company, and used the Andir fleet to invade Ryredel once again by sea. This time, the mostly-infantry force was successful, as Ryredel was facing multiple fronts. King Romtalt hid in his northern fortress, waiting for the Andirs to come. He hid for months and months, until the October of 985 A.P., in which the Andirs arrived. The Emperor wore his ancestors' garb, barely to the standard of modern plate armour. His men were tired, though still willing to last one more siege. The Siege of Riirdil, capital of Ryredel (and its namesake), was finally captured after a two-month siege. Romtalt was made an example of, and was hung along with his brothers and eldest son. Aftermath The harsh taxation upon Ryredel was lowered very much, although some still call it harsh. Locals could not rule any land in Ryredel anymore, and Andiric lords were installed into high-ranking positions in Ryredel. Many fortresses were constructed to keep an eye on the peasantry, so that they do not think of revolting once again. The larger impact upon Ander was the demand for autonomy in many conquered lands in Ander, which Emperor Aræn begrudgingly granted. Although this revolution was unsuccessful, it inspired many peasants across the country to attempt it once again, only for them to be quickly put down once they were even remotely close to organizing a revolt. The punishments for high treason were made into hanging, drawing, and quartering. The punishment for petty treason was made into hanging or beheading. The Steppelords were transported to Athroux and upon request, and pretty much functioned as invaders at their stay there. They fought both the Vagarli dwarves who were invading as well as the locals. Ander was open to helping Cvaldakia achieve independence afterwards, and kept its promises to the Steppelords: the Khanate of the Albaarahir was condemned, with Cvaldakia's and Prum's independence guaranteed. Things went somewhat downhill with the Pyrenes from there, though relations are still quite friendly.Category:Event Category:War